This invention relates to floor latches for mounting removable bench seats to a motor vehicle and in particular to a floor latch having a take-up mechanism to prevent rocking of the seat when mounted in a vehicle.
Modern passenger carrying vans and other multi-purpose passenger vehicles are frequently equipped with bench seats which are removable to permit varied uses of the vehicle. With one or more bench seats installed, the vehicles can be used to carry a number of occupants or the bench seats may be removed to enable the vehicle to transport large objects such as furniture, building materials, etc.
Present motor vehicle safety standards require vehicle bench seats to be equipped with seat belt systems. In the event of a vehicle impact, extreme loads are transferred from the seat belts to the seat structure, and the seat may be further subjected to loads due to occupants or objects striking the seat. As an occupant protection measure, it is desirable to maintain the bench seat securely fastened to the vehicle structure during a collision. Accordingly, the fastening system used to attach the bench seat to the vehicle floor must be capable of transmitting high force loadings. While other fasteners can be used to mount a bench seat to the vehicle floor, most manufactures offer mechanisms which are designed to enable rapid removal and replacement of the seat without requiring the use of tools.
Conventional motor vehicle bench seats have a pair of laterally spaced supporting pedestals. In order to provide acceptable securement of the seat, it is necessary for each of the pedestals to be anchored to the vehicle floor. If the seat is to be easily removable, a latching mechanism is required for each of the pedestals.
One mechanism for attaching the seat to the vehicle floor structure utilizes a pair of longitudinally spaced support shafts for attaching each pedestal. Each pair of support shafts are mounted to the floor in a position extending laterally relative to the vehicle. The pedestal includes at its lower front end, a horizontally directed U-shaped slot which is opened forwardly to enable the pedestal to be mounted on the shaft by positioning the pedestal slot around the support shaft.
The rearward lower edge of the pedestal includes a latch mechanism to secure the pedestal to the rearward support shaft. After the front end of the pedestal is positioned on the front support shaft, the bench seat is rotated about the forward support shaft to lower the rear of the pedestal onto the rearward support shaft. The latch mechanism includes one or more hooks which rotate underneath the rearward support shaft to secure the seat pedestal to the rearward support shaft.
Due to manufacturing tolerances of the vehicle body, the rearward support shafts on opposite sides of the vehicle are not always positioned at the same vertical height. In order to accommodate this variation in the vertical position of the support shafts, the pedestal, at the point of engagement with the rear support shaft, has an inverted elongated U-shaped slot into which the support shaft is positioned. The latch hook is rotated beneath the shaft, closing the slot to entrap the support shaft in the slot between the seat and the latch hook. The slot enables each pedestal to be secured to the respective rearward support shaft and allow for variation in the shaft vertical position. As a result of the elongated U-slot, there may be a gap between the latch hook and the support shaft. A gap between the shaft and the latch hook will enable the bench seat to rock forward, especially during rapid stopping of the vehicle. This rocking motion and the noise produced by the rocking can be an annoyance to the vehicle occupants.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a floor latch with a take-up mechanism to eliminate or reduce the length of the U-slot after the seat is installed to eliminate the rocking motion of a bench seat.
To eliminate the rocking motion during vehicle stopping, the latch of the present invention includes a take-up mechanism employing a hook which pivots about the same pivot point as the latch hook. The take-up hook has a surface which engages the lower side of the support shaft opposite the seat as the take-up hook is rotated to a position beneath the support shaft. The take-up hook is shaped so as to close the gap beneath the support shaft as the take-up hook is rotated beneath the shaft. Once the take-up hook engages the support shaft, the hook rotation is stopped. The take-up hook is held in this position by a spring. With take-up mechanism engaging the bottom side of the support shaft, the bench seat will not rock forward during vehicle breaking.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the following drawings.